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President Donald Trump’s mention of paid family leave in his speech to Congress Feb.
28 has some lawmakers seeking his support for related legislation.

Trump during his address laid out priorities for American workers, including the need
for Congress to work to “ensure new parents have paid family leave.” The mention came
as lawmakers are proposing various bills to address the issue. Both Democrats and
Republicans have voiced support for paid family leave, but they remain divided on
whether it should be done through mandates on employers or incentives for those who
offer the benefit to their workers.

There’s no indication of how exactly the administration might try to address the issue.
A White House aide told Bloomberg BNA March 1 that “there are ongoing discussions
with Congress to identify the best path forward.”

Trump’s nod of support for paid family leave follows daughter Ivanka Trump’s criticism
of job bias against mothers during remarks at the the Republican Convention last year.
The president’s nudge to Congress comes as some employers are offering paid family
leave and some state and local governments have enacted measures addressing it.

Democrats, Republicans Divided on Solution

As for Congress, legislation is already in the works. That includes the FAMILY Act
(
S.337, H.R. 947), which would establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance
program, funded by contributions from employers and workers. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
(D-N.Y.), who introduced the Senate version of the bill in February, is hoping to
get Trump’s support.

“President Trump also acknowledged our urgent need for paid leave, and I encourage
him to support my bill, the FAMILY Act, which would create a national paid leave plan
for every American who works,” Gillibrand said in a written statement provided to
Bloomberg BNA March 1.

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), who has opposed such mandates, said she’s hoping to garner
support for her Strong Families Act (
S. 344). That measure would offer tax incentives to employers that provide paid family and
medical leave.

“I was pleased to once again hear our president emphasize his intention to increase
workplace flexibility for families,” Fischer said in a statement March 1. “This is
an area I have focused on for nearly four years in the Senate. We have a real opportunity
to take significant steps on these issues to improve the lives of families across
this country.”

“I think the president has sprinkled his speech with a couple of ideas, paid family
leave being one of them,”
he told Bloomberg BNA March 1. “I think that given how glib and cavalier he can be.
Even with a speech to a joint session of Congress, I have my doubts.”

States, Companies Offer Benefits

In the meantime, companies and state and local governments have implemented some forms
of paid family leave in recent years.

That includes large companies such as Amazon, which in 2015 expanded its benefits
to include 20 paid weeks of leave. The company now offers four weeks of paid pre-partum
medical leave for pregnant employees, followed by 10 weeks of paid maternity leave
and six weeks of paid parental leave.

As for states, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D)
last April signed a law requiring employers to provide 12 weeks of paid family leave
for their employees. The law, to be funded by a payroll deduction on employees, will
be phased in beginning in 2018.

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